Crown in Fertuck murder trial presents rifle found on property near Saskatoon

A dirty, semi-automatic Ruger 10/22 gun was introduced by the Crown as evidence in the Greg Fertuck murder trial Friday.

The gun was found on a property outside of Saskatoon on Nov. 14, 2021.

Justice Richard Danyliuk presided over the voir dire, which is a hearing within a trial. The admissibility of the testimony and evidence to the trial proper will be determined by Danyliuk.

The black metal gun, with a collapsible stock and a scope, has black hockey tape over the end of the barrel. It was found in a wooded area near Highway 14 not far from Kinley. That’s about half an hour from Saskatoon, according to a map presented by the Crown.

According to testimony from several witnesses including Murray Picketts — who owns the property where the gun was found — the rifle was found under a storage bin when the bin was being moved.

Picketts testified when the gun was found, he thought it was a joke. It was eventually handed in to Biggar RCMP.

He said he bought the land in 2020, but it was a farm prior to his purchase. He testified the area where it was found was accessible by vehicle.

According to prior RCMP testimony in October, Fertuck — who’s charged with first-degree murder in the death of his ex-wife Sheree — allegedly admitted to using a .22-calibre rifle to kill her.

He also allegedly told officers during a “Mr. Big” sting operation that he disposed of a gun in a rural area west of Saskatoon. Previous searches for the gun turned up nothing.

Sheree Fertuck’s body has never been found.

RCMP expert testimony

Kenneth Chan with the National Forensic Laboratory Service was the final witness to testify Friday.

Danyliuk said he was satisfied Chan was a weapons and ballistics expert who could present impartial testimony.

Chan was involved in the investigation in 2020 and provided testimony and an initial report on Sept. 30, 2020 on two spent shell casings found at the gravel pit where Sheree worked and was believed to have been before she disappeared.

He was again contacted by RCMP on Jan. 22 of this year after the Ruger was found on the rural Kinley property, and tasked with finding out whether the shell casings came from that gun.

On Feb. 14, he issued a new report. Crown prosecutor Carla Dewar asked whether he found that the casings recovered from the gravel pit came from the gun.

“That’s correct,” he testified.

Chan said the gun was in working condition when he received, it, but dirty and rusted.

He used cotton patches to clean the weapon, then fired six test bullets from the gun, twice the number he said he usually fires in order to make sure the dirt in the weapon didn’t affect the casings.

He concluded the shell casings from the test firings matched the two recovered shell casings. Dewar then asked whether his results were reviewed, and Chan testified that they had been.

Under cross-examination, defence lawyer Mike Nolan asked Chan whether any other tests had been conducted on the gun, including DNA testing on the hockey tape on the barrel of the gun or on the level of corrosion to potentially determine how long the gun was exposed to the elements. Chan testified in both cases that it wasn’t in his scope to do so.

Nolin also questioned the brand of ammunition used in the test firings, and whether Chan had tested any other types of Ruger .22-calibre guns. Chan replied, “No.”

The voir dire was adjourned to Wednesday.